Chapter 5 The British Invasion and American Responses

1. The Beatles and the British Invasion a. Beatles were already established stars in Europe by 1964 when they toured the United States b. Mass adulation surrounding the group known as “Beatlemania” c. American Beatlemania represented the first time extreme adulation was bestowed on nonnative rock musicians d. Beatles were the first important “group” e. Beatles audience identified with the band f. British Invasion bands included the Beatles, the Who, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks g. Beatles modeled themselves after Buddy Holly’s Crickets h. The Beatles quit touring in 1966 and became a “studio band” 2. “Please Please Me” (1962) a. Beatles first top 10 hit in the U.K. b. Straightforward up-tempo love song c. AABA form d. Ascending melody of “B” section depicts intensity 3. “Hard Day’s Night” (1964) a. Title song from the Beatles first movie b. Title demonstrates clever wordplay c. AABA form with references to blues form d. Lyrics and form express themes of dissonance resolving to consonance 4. “Yesterday” (1965) a. Wide-ranging and enduringly popular b. Evokes Tin Pan Alley models 5. “Eleanor” Rigby (1966) a. Released as the “B” side of “Yellow Submarine” b. Accompanied by a string quartet used unconventionally c. Verse/chorus form suggests the influence of folk ballads d. Incorporates uneven phrase lengths reflecting the theme of incompleteness 6. The Rolling Stones and other British Invaders a. Included the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Who, the Kinks, Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Hollies, and Herman’s Hermits b. Generally stayed close to their musical roots c. Other than the Beatles, the Rolling Stones had the greatest influence 7. Meanwhile, back in California a. Brian Wilson created Pet Sounds (1966) with the Beach Boys i. Inspired by the Beatles’ Rubber Soul (1965) ii. Rock’s first concept album iii. Beach Boys released the single “Good Vibrations” (1966) 8. Urban folk music: Bob Dylan a. Concerned with political and social issues b. Associated with working-class, rural southerners c. Artists favored acoustic guitars d. Perceived by fans as “authentic” and often scholarly e. Bob Dylan i. Considered the embodiment of the folk movement ii. Later embraced rock ’n’ roll iii. Established himself as a singer/songwriter in New York City iv. Stood out for the originality and intensity of his songs Idiosyncratic performance style a barrier to pop marketability v. Often incorporated traditional melodies vi. Transformed himself into a rock ’n’ roll musician at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival vii. Raised the possibility of rock ’n’ roll as “art” 9. Like a Rolling Stone a. Ended restrictions on length, subject matter, and poetic diction b. Dense sound dominated by organ and piano c. Features an “in your face” vocal style d. Incorporates surreal images and blunt realism e. Strophic form with very long strophes